Objective
1 of 2:
Raise the quality of research funded or conducted by the Department.

Indicator 1.1 of 2: The percentage of new research proposals funded by Institute of Education Sciences that receive an average score of excellent or higher from an independent review panel of qualified scientists.

Measure 1.1.1 of 1: The percentage of new research proposals funded by the Department's National Center for Education Research that receive an average score of excellent or higher from an independent review panel of qualified scientists.

Year

Actual Performance

Performance Targets

2003

88

2004

97

2005

100

100

2006

100

2007

100

Source: Expert

Frequency: Annually.

Next Data Available:
September 2006

Limitations: Evaluations are only as good as the qualifications of the peer review panel. Inclusion of senior scientists who are leading researchers in their fields ensures the quality of the data.

Explanation: the measure is calculated as the average review panel score for newly funded IES research proposals.

Indicator 1.2 of 2: Of new research and evaluation projects funded by the IES that address causal questions, the percentage of projects that employ randomized experimental designs.

Measure 1.2.1 of 1: Of new research and evaluation projects funded by the Department's National Center of Education Research that address causal questions, the percentage of projects that employ randomized experimental designs.

Year

Actual Performance

Performance Targets

2001

32

32

2002

100

75

2003

97

75

2004

90

75

2005

75

2006

75

2007

75

Frequency: Annually.

Next Data Available:
March 2006

Limitations: Evaluations are only as good as the qualifications of the proposal reviewers. Having qualified researchers conduct the reviews, as well as having two IES researchers independently evaluate a subset of proposals (with minimum inter-rater agreement of 90 percent), minimizes threats to the validity and reliability of data.

Explanation: IES researchers evaluate all research and evaluation proposals newly funded by IES.The 75 percent target for 2002-2006 recognizes that some high-quality research addressing causal questions will not be able to employ randomized experimental designs. Presence of a causal question is defined as instances in which the investigation is designed to examine the effects of one variable on a second variable. A causal relation might be expressed as one variable influencing, affecting, or changing another variable. A randomized experimental design is defined as instances in which there are (a) an experimental (treatment) group and one or more comparison groups, and (b) random assignment of participants to treatment and comparison groups, or random assignment of groups (e.g., classrooms or schools) to treatment and comparison conditions. If a proposal includes a design in which two or more groups of participants are compared, but the PI does not explicitly indicate that random assignment procedures will be used, the proposal is recorded as not using a randomized experimental design.

Objective
2 of 2:
Increase the relevance of our research in order to meet the needs of our customers.

Indicator 2.1 of 3: The percentage of new research projects funded by IES that are deemed to be of high relevance to education practice as determined by an independent review panel of qualified practitioners.

Measure 2.1.1 of 1: The percentage of new research projects funded by the Department's National Center of Education Research that are deemed to be of high relevance as determined by an independent review panel of qualified practitioners.

Year

Actual Performance

Performance Targets

2001

21

2002

25

25

2003

60

37

2004

50

50

2005

65

2006

75

2007

75

Source: External panel of qualified practitioners.

Frequency: Annually.

Next Data Available:
March 2006

Limitations: Evaluations are only as good as the qualifications of the external review panel. Inclusion of experienced practitioners and administrators in education and special education assures the quality of the data.

Explanation: The target of 75 percent for 2006 + 2007 recognizes that some important research may not seem immediately relevant but will make important contributions over the long term.

Indicator 2.2 of 3: The number of annual hits on the What Works Clearinghouse Web site.

Measure 2.2.1 of 1: The number of annual hits on the What Works Clearinghouse Web site.

Year

Actual Performance

Performance Targets

2003

1,522,922

1,000,000

2004

4,249,668

2,000,000

2005

5,706,257

4,500,000

2006

5,000,000

2007

5,500,000

Source: What Works Clearinghouse. Web Site.

Frequency: Annually.

Next Data Available:
October 2006

Explanation: A Web-based program automatically counts the hits on this Web site.

Indicator 2.3 of 3: The percentage of WWC Web site users surveyed randomly who responded to the statement, ''Evidence provided on the WWC Web site is useful in making decisions about education programs and practices'' by checking ''agree'' or ''strongly agree.''

Measure 2.3.1 of 1: The percentage of WWC Web site users surveyed randomly who responded to the statement, ''Evidence provided on the WWC Web site is useful in making decisions about education programs and practices'' by checking ''agree'' or ''strongly agree.''